Love's Forgotten Promise
by mrxmanx28
Summary: Luke and Noah run into someone new. He is slowly welcomed into their lives. As time goes on will Noah and Luke be brought closer, or will this new addition into their lives drive them apart worse then any other addition?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – A Chance Encounter**

The rain was coming down in sheets as the man drove his three year old car down the highway. Where he was headed he had no idea, but he knew there was no turning back now. In his mind he knew that he would not be welcome back in his hometown, where it was wrong beyond reason to show any sign of difference. From an early age he knew he didn't fit in, so at the age of 21 he packed his bags and didn't look back.

Eventually he noticed that his car was both low on gas and his engine light was flashing, so he pulled over. He sat in his car, with tears streaming down his eyes. How could things get any worse? An hour passed and no car drove by, so the man decided to walk down the road in the pouring rain to see if he could find a gas station. He wasn't sure who he would call when he got there, but he knew it was about all he could do at this point.

He got about a mile down the road, when finally a white truck appeared behind him. It passed right by and on the way by drove through a puddle causing him to be even more soaked then he was before. He was about ready to give up and lay there to die in the pouring rain, but then suddenly and completely out of surprise the truck started going in reverse. The driver got out of his truck as soon as he had reached the man and was holding a rain coat and an umbrella. He handed the man the rain coat and told him to come into his truck and get warm.

"Won't your truck get soaked?" he asked.

"I don't care. I just don't want you to catch your death" The stranger replied. They both entered the truck.

"So what's your name?" The stranger asked the man.

"My n-n-name is Mark." Replied the man as he shivered his words.

"Well people know me as Luke. So why are you out in rain? You'll catch your death."

"My car broke down about a mile down the road and I thought that maybe if I made it to a gas station I could call someone to come and tow my truck away." Mark said.

Luke noticed that Mark was shivering and immediately turned up his heater to full blast so that Mark would not freeze to death. He turned on some nice music and promised Mark that he would give him a nice place to stay tonight until he could call his family to come get him tomorrow. They would have a tow truck pick up the car in the morning and bring it to the repair shop. They drove for about ten minutes and eventually arrived at a nice little cottage. Mark had no idea what town this cottage was located in and it was as though Luke could see it on his face because he immediately mentioned that they are in the town of Oakdale. Luke explained that this cottage belonged to his family and was currently being rented out to two people he knew very well.

Mark felt eternally grateful to Luke, but explained that he didn't have a home to go to or people to call. He went on to explain how he had run away from his home because of how his parents had threatened to seriously hurt him and physically and emotionally abused him. Luke could totally understand and explained how his mom and biological father both tried to have him turned straight when he came out of the closet. Mark replied that he was gay himself and this is why his family had threatened to seriously hurt him. There was a slight awkward silence, but then it was broken by Mark who asked Luke if he could be honest with him. Luke insisted that he please do, so Mark began to tell him everything about his life and his struggles. Luke returned the favour by telling Mark about his story. He explained how he is in a relationship with a man named Noah He also explained how Noah wasn't showing much affection lately because of his illegitimate wife Ameera and how it was eating him up inside. Luke felt like it was safe to tell all of this to Mark and was willing to take a chance that he could be an undercover ICE agent (though in his heart he knew that Mark wasn't an ICE agent). At the end of his explanation he warned Mark that the people who were living in the cottage were Noah and Ameera and asked Mark if he could keep an eye on Ameera. He told Mark he didn't want it to have to come to this, but he didn't trust Ameera and knew that Noah for some reason could not say no to her. It was perfect because Mark was pretty much a stranger to everyone, so Noah would never realize that he was watching Ameera for Luke.

At this point it was two in the morning. They had been sitting there, talking in the truck for over two hours. Luke looked at Mark and explained that he would go wake up Noah and talk with him. He really did not want to wake Noah, but knew they had no choice, so he got out of the car, told Mark to stay in the car until he came to get him, and approached the front door. He knocked on it and waited. Five minutes went by and still no answer. He knocked a second time. Another five minutes went by and still no answer. He decided that they must be fast asleep and took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. The phone rang three times and eventually Noah picked up.

"Hello?" he said sounding very tired.

"Noah? It's Luke. Please don't be mad, but I need your help."

"Luke? It's 2am. Is everything ok? Are you hurt?"

"No no. I'm fine, but come to your front door and I'll explain everything."

Within five minutes Noah was at the front door with only a pair of sleep pants on. He opened the door and beckoned for Luke to step inside. Luke pointed at his truck and explained how he had someone who needed a place to stay for a while and if it would be ok for him to stay there. Noah said that he could stay here for tonight, but he would have to check with Ameera before allowing him to stay any longer then that. Luke said that was fair and went to get Mark. He helped Mark to the front door and Noah went to get him a pair of warm clothes. Mark explained to Noah how his car broke down and how he decided to walk to find a gas station, but was picked up by Luke who brought him here to stay.

"Is there anyone you can call in the morning to come and get you?" Noah asked.

"No. Unfortunately I ran away from home and I am not going back." Mark replied.

"I can understand completely what you are going through. My father tried to kill Luke after he found out that I was gay." Noah said.

Noah invited Luke to spend the night as he knew Luke was not expected home until the morning. Luke accepted the invitation, but not entirely for Noah. He wanted to make sure his new friend was ok and would stay awake the whole night to do so. He and Noah went to the closet and got some extra blankets and pillows. Luke placed a blanket and pillow for himself on the floor, and a blanket and pillow for Mark on the couch. The two of them went to the kitchen to make a cup of warm tea for Mark and talk.

Noah looked into Luke's eyes and with a soothing tone to his voice, he said,

"I love you so much Luke. I have never been able to express it like this, but you have this kindness about you that makes me proud to be your boyfriend."

Luke was really taken by surprise and was lost for words. He was rarely lost for words, so he did the only thing he could think of and grabbed Noah around the waist and pulled him in closer. As Noah stared into Luke's eyes and their gazes met each of them could feel their heartbeats racing. Luke and Noah both moved in closer to each other until their lips met. It was like magic, a magic they had not felt in a long time.

"I have missed you so much Noah." Luke said. "I have counted down the days that we would be together again like this."

Noah simply placed his finger on Luke's lips and moved in to lock lips in a further embrace. To Luke it seemed like an eternity of passion, but in reality it was over in short time. The further embrace lasted about two minutes. At this point the kettle started boiling and it was time to bring out the tea to Mark.

While Noah stayed in the kitchen to make something for them to eat, Luke walked out into the living room where he saw Mark wrapped in the blanket trying to keep warm. Tears were streaming down his face, but he was trying so hard to hide them. Luke noticed it immediately and sat down next to Mark.

"Are you ok? Do you want to talk?" He asked.

Mark looked over at Luke and saw the look of true concern on his face. He wondered why Luke cared so much. They barely knew each other and yet he extended both a hand of friendship and a place to stay for the night. Luke grabbed Mark's arm and reached his other arm around Mark. Mark sat there completely limp for a moment.

"What are you doing? Won't Noah be jealous?"

"I see that you are in pain and I'm trying to comfort you. Noah won't mind. He knows he's the only one for me."

At this thought Mark reached his arms around Luke and the two sat there for a couple minutes hugging. Tears began to pour down Marks cheek onto Luke's shoulder, but neither one of them moved. Mark had never had a friend do this for him and he appreciated it so much. Noah walked into the living room with a tray of food for them. It had three sliced chicken sandwiches and a bowl of soup for each of them. Mark and Luke unlocked from the hug and looked at the delicious tray of food. He placed the tray down on the nearest table and handed a bowl of soup and a sandwich to Mark. Mark began to scarf the sandwich down and then rather then use a spoon he drank the soup right from the bowl. He looked up from his food and noticed astonished looks on both Noah and Luke's faces. He simply shrugged and was back at it.

After everyone was finished Noah grabbed the empty plates and brought them to the kitchen. Luke got under his blanket on the floor and laid his head down on the pillow. He looked up at Mark who was lying on the couch looking down at Luke. Noah came back out from the kitchen and lay on the ground next to Luke, under the covers. While the two of them lay there keeping each other warm, Noah whispered into Luke's ear.

"I can't let Mark go out into the street tomorrow. I will talk with Ameera and I'm sure she will agree that he can stay here." Noah said.

Luke turned around and gave Noah a big hug. After that Noah got up to go back to his bedroom and explained that he would love more then anything to stay with Luke tonight, but he doesn't want Ameera to worry when she wakes up. Luke simply nodded and turned around while Noah walked off to the bedroom. Luke noticed that Mark was lying there looking up at the ceiling; his arm dangling out the side of the blanket.

"Can't sleep?" Luke asked.

"I'm trying." Mark replied, with a sound of worry coming from his voice. "What am I going to do Luke? I'm scared and I feel like my whole world has come apart."

Luke did not know what to say at this exact moment, so he simply reached his hand up to Marks and placed it on it. Mark immediately knew that he was in a safe place and fell almost instantly to sleep. Luke on the other hand was too worried to sleep, so he laid there and thought to himself about his situation with Noah and about his new friend and how they would help him. Finally an hour later he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Morning After

**Chapter 2 – The Morning After**

Mark and Luke woke suddenly as they heard a loud noise. Mark just lay there with his eyes wide open staring at the ceiling, while Luke jumped up from off the ground. He looked behind the couch and noticed Ameera standing next to a pile of broken ceramic. She immediately went in to the kitchen and sat down.

"I can get a dustpan and clean it up." Mark said.

"And I'll go see what's wrong with Ameera." Luke replied.

Luke motioned to where the broom closet was and headed toward the kitchen. When he got there he noticed Ameera sitting at the table resting her forehead on her hands. Luke sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry that we startled you Ameera." Luke said, with a true tone of concern in his voice.

"No, it's alright. I just didn't know that anyone was there. When I woke up this morning Noah was gone for school. I am not used to having strangers in my home." She said.

Luke got up and boiled some water to make Ameera some tea. He went to the fridge and grabbed some food that he could make for breakfast. When he glanced over at her she was watching his every move. He put the food on the counter.

"I hope you don't mind that I went in your fridge and started a pot of tea?" Luke asked.

"No, it's fine. I appreciate it." Ameera replied.

Luke continued to prepare the food when suddenly Mark walked into the kitchen with the broom and dustpan. Luke pointed the way to the garbage can, where Mark dropped the broken ceramic. Both Mark and Luke were curious as to why Ameera would be carrying around a ceramic plate with no food on it. All of the plates often stayed in the kitchen. Luke motioned for Mark to sit down so they could talk. He introduced Mark and Ameera to each other.

"Ameera we need to talk." Luke said, "Mark needs a place to stay and I don't want to impose anymore on my family then I already have, so I was thinking that perhaps he might be able to stay here with you and Noah."

Luke was sure she would say yes while in front of Mark

"I would like to talk with Noah about this first." Ameera said.

Before she could continue Luke interrupted and explained that Noah had no problem with it and then reminded her that not long ago she needed hospitality and his family gave her everything she needed. He assured her that the right thing to do would be to return the hospitality to someone else in need. She didn't say anything further, but simply nodded. Luke then mentioned that after Noah gets home they are going to drive and get Marks belongings out of his car and then have a tow truck come and take it to the local repairman. He told Ameera that she is more then welcome to come with them. Again she didn't say anything, but simply nodded. After breakfast, Mark and Luke walked out into the living room, where Luke grabbed Mark by the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing and pulled him onto the front porch.

"There is something fishy about how Ameera dropped that plate." Luke said.

"I agree. There was no food on it and it was only one plate. This makes me wonder why she was carrying the plate in the first place. Now I don't know Ameera, so I am basing my opinion of this situation on what you have told me about her, but it all seemed very suspicious to me."

They walked back into the house where they noticed Ameera sitting on the couch reading a book. Mark walked past Ameera and sat on one side of her. Luke sat on the other side. Ameera immediately got up from where she was sitting and walked into the bedroom. Luke got up to follow her into the bedroom.

"Ameera if we are making you uncomfortable we can leave." Luke said.

"No, please. You are not making me uncomfortable. I am just not used to having two men sit on either side of me. I will be fine. Noah will be home soon and then we can leave."

Ten minutes later Noah walked through the front door. Luke was in the kitchen cleaning up the mess he made making breakfast, Mark was on the couch reading the book that Ameera had been reading to pass the time and Ameera was in the bedroom resting.

"Hey Mark, How are you feeling?" Noah asked.

"Thanks to your wonderful hospitality, I think I am going to be just fine." Mark replied. At that very moment, Luke walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey Noah, How was class?" He asked.

"Fine, but I missed you though." Noah replied.

The two of them greeted each other with a big hug and then sat down on either side of Mark. Noah gently grabbed the book out of Mark's hand and then explained that now was the time to discuss where they go from here. Mark suggested that first he would like to get his belongings and get his car to a repairman and then from there he will decide where to go. Luke explained to Noah that he talked it over with Ameera about Mark possibly staying here and she seemed alright with it.

"Well then that's settled. We will go and get your stuff out of your car, and then call a tow truck to get your car for you. You will stay with us for as long as you need and then we will find you your own place when the time is right." Noah explained.

Luke felt that this was the best opportunity to suggest that he move in with them. Noah said that he wants nothing more then to live with Luke, but where would Luke stay. Luke explained that they would by a pull-out couch and Mark and he would sleep on the pullout couch. Luke went on to explain how it would be perfect because Mark would replace Casey as his boyfriend in their plans. Noah didn't know that Mark was gay himself, so he immediately agreed that this plan could work.

"Ok so Luke and you will move into the cottage and sleep on a pullout couch." He explained further. At that very moment Ameera walked from out of the bedroom.

"What are you talking about Noah?" She asked.

"Mark and Luke are going to move in and sleep on a pullout couch in the living room." Noah explained.

Just as she had done before to Luke, she simply said nothing and nodded her head.

"Are you fine with that Ameera?" Noah asked. "If not we can talk about it. I think it's a decision we both have to make together as we both live here."

"It's fine. They can both live here if they want. The Snyder's were very nice to me when I needed a place to stay." Ameera said in a very unconvincing tone.

Noah believed that she was fine with it. He felt as though he had no choice, but to believe she was fine with it. Deep down he wanted to please everyone and since she had not protested anything outright he had to assume that this living situation would be alright. With that Noah headed to the door to get his shoes on.

"We better get going. It's alright ten thirty and we may be a while." Noah spoke these words to everyone as he was putting one of his shoes on. Immediately everyone else began to do the same.

They walked out the front door and realized that all four of them would not fit into Noah's truck. One of them would have to stay behind. Ameera said that she would stay behind and Noah said that he would stay with Ameera.

"Noah, Ameera is a big girl. She can take care of herself. I wanted to spend the day with you." Luke said.

"What about ICE?" Noah replied.

"They won't be around every corner, and besides I am with my boyfriend Mark. We can just say that Ameera is in class and you came to help us do some shopping." Luke explained.

They could all tell that Ameera was not happy with this plan based on the look she had on her face. Luke had another idea. He would drive Noah's truck to the farm and ask to borrow his father, Holden's car. Noah liked this idea. He explained that it would be too easy for him to walk over later to pick up his truck. Everyone agreed to this idea, and so Luke drove off in Noah's truck to the Snyder farm to pick up Holden's car. He arrived back in very short time with the car and everyone piled in. Noah sat in the front passenger seat and Ameera and Mark sat in the back seat.

They arrived at where Mark left his car. Mark went into his trunk and grabbed his luggage, which they loaded into the Trunk of Holden's car. He then went into the front seat and grabbed his cell phone and anything else he needed. He checked the back seat. There was nothing in it. He got back in the back seat of the car and got the number from Luke for the tow truck company. He dialled the phone and then handed it to Luke. In five minutes Luke hung up the phone.

"They're on their way. I explained in great detail where the car is and they said they would be here in about fifteen minutes." Luke explained.

"While we are waiting do you want to drive up the road and get something to eat?" Mark asked. "I remember there being a diner about half a mile down the road. It won't take long to drive down there pick something up and then drive back to meet the tow truck."

"I think one of us should wait here in case." Luke suggested thinking of what would happen should the tow truck show up and find no one there.

Luke suggested that Mark stay there as it is his car, but that Noah stay with Mark. His intentions for suggesting Noah stay with Mark were based on the fact that he didn't want him alone with Ameera any more then he had to be. He suggested that Ameera and him go and pick up the food and bring it back here.

"I would prefer to stay with Noah." Ameera argued.

"I will need someone to help me carry the food Ameera and it will give Mark and Noah a chance to talk. It's best they get to know each other if they are going to be living together."

Ameera didn't say a word, but simply walked to the back seat of Holden's car.

"You can sit up front with me." Luke stated.

"No, I will be fine in the back seat."

Luke didn't want to cause conflict, so he simply bit his tongue and walked around to the driver's seat. Ameera got into the back seat and they were off to the diner to get everyone something to eat. Noah looked at Mark, who was staring into the sky and leaning on his car. He walked over to him and stood next to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Noah asked.

"I was thinking about the future." He replied. "Listen Noah, I really appreciate you extending your home to me before even really knowing me. It takes a lot to open your home to a complete stranger."

"You have to understand, I would do anything for Luke. He asked me to put you up and that was that."

"I don't want to overstep my welcome, but I think you need to start showing Luke how you feel about him. I get the impression that Luke feels like he is being replaced."

"Why? Has he said anything?"

"No, but I'm very good at understanding the feelings of other people."

They were silent for what seemed like an eternity and then Noah's cell phone rang.

"Hello Luke. Did you find the restaurant? We're just here waiting for you guys to get back. No they haven't shown up yet." He looked over in Mark's direction. "He wants to know what you want to eat."

"All I want is a sandwich and something to drink." Mark replied.

Noah hung up the phone. He placed his hand on Mark's shoulder and didn't say a word. Mark knew instantly that this was his way of thanking him and simply smiled. They looked up the street and noticed the tow truck approaching in the distance. The driver parked the Truck behind Mark's car and then stepped out of the truck. He was a skinny blonde person who looked to be about the age of fifteen.

"Which one of you is the owner of this car?" He asked. Mark raised his hand. "I need you to sign on the dotted line." He handed mark a clipboard.

When Mark saw the amount that it would cost to tow his car he was outraged, but didn't protest it as he figured there wasn't a chance in hell anything would be done about the price. He signed the dotted line and handed the clipboard back to the driver. The driver asked which repair shop they wanted their car towed to. Mark looked at Noah and Noah simply shrugged. Neither of them knew which was the best place to go, so Noah called Luke. After explaining the situation to Luke and asking where the best place to go would be he said his goodbye's and hung up the phone.

"Take it to Burt's Garage in Oakdale." Noah said to the tow truck driver.

The driver hitched the tow truck to Mark's car and was off for Burt's Garage in Oakdale. Five minutes later Luke and Ameera arrived back with the food. They sat in the field and ate their food on a blanket that was found in Holden's car. Luke assumed that it was there for picnics between Holden and his mom Lily. Luke checked his watch and realized that it was now two thirty in the afternoon. Luke, Noah and Ameera each had class in an hour and Mark wanted to explore Oakdale and see about getting a job; not only that, but the sun began to get very hot, so they all piled into the car and headed for home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – A new town, A new outlook on life

**Chapter 3 – A New Town, a New Outlook on Life**

Luke didn't want to leave Mark alone for the afternoon, so he decided to miss class this one time to show him around Oakdale. He asked Noah to get the notes for him, seeing as they both had the same class. It was agreed that they would all meet at Henry's Diner in three hours.

Luke decided that he would start their tour by taking Mark to the coffee shop where Noah met Ameera for the first time, known only as Java. He would then take Mark to WOAK, where he met Noah while working in a summer intern position with his best friend Maddie Coleman. Luke continued to list off a bunch of places that they had to visit and a bunch of people they had to meet, but it was getting to be too much for Mark to take in. Mark sat down on the nearest bench. Luke walked a few feet ahead and then realized that Mark was no longer with him. He turned around and noticed Mark sitting on the bench.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's just it's so much to take in all at once. I would much rather meet people first and then be shown around to different places."

Luke decided that he would take Mark to highly populated areas and introduce him to Oakdale residents, including the rest of the Snyder's.

"I have to introduce you to my half-brother Aaron. He is so down to earth and was totally there for me when I told him about Noah." Luke said in an excited tone of voice.

Mark was looking forward to learning about all of the people in Luke's life. He had just lost his whole world and was ready to start replacing those people with new people. Who better than people approved by someone as caring as Luke? They arrived at Java not long after this. As soon as they entered Luke walked over to another blonde person sitting down at one of the tables. Mark followed, not far behind him.

"Mark I want to introduce you to someone" Luke said as soon as Mark caught up to the table. "Mark this is Casey, Casey this is Mark."

Casey stood up from where he was sitting and extended his hand to Mark and the two of them shook hands. Casey's grip was firm, but warm. He emitted this aura of kindness about him, but Mark could tell he was hiding things under the surface. He was not about to pry though, so he pushed these feelings into the pit of his stomach. Casey asked them to join him for a cup of coffee, but Luke explained that they were meeting Noah and Ameera in three hours and still had so many people to meet.

"You should take him to the police station and introduce him to my mom." Casey Suggested. Luke explained that Casey's mom, Margo is the chief of Police. Luke then turned to Casey and explained that he had a lot of other people for Mark to meet and that he would introduce him to Margo if time allowed them to within the three hours. Mark wondered why Luke was trying to cram so many people in so short a time, but appreciated the enthusiasm that Luke was showing. It was as though he were showing off a new best friend or a new puppy dog or something that people can easily fall in love with. It flattered Mark very much.

"How long are you in town for, Mark?" Casey asked.

"I'm staying at Noah's place. I'm not sure for how long at this point, but I'm hoping to call Oakdale home. What are you up to right now Casey?"

"I'm just wasting time in here, while I wait for a friend. If you stick around I will introduce the two of you. She should be here any minute now."

At that exact moment, as though Casey willed her to arrive when he said that, a blonde girl walked up to the table and sat down across from Casey. Casey explained that this was Luke's friend Mark and then introduced the blonde girl as Alison. Alison and Mark shook hands. Her handshake was more reserved and she gripped Mark's hand with next to no force. Mark saw in her eyes that she had suffered a lot. Again he wasn't one to pry into the lives of others. He was no magician and remembered times back in his hometown where he would see pain in someone's eyes and really annoy them by asking what was wrong. As he had been given a chance in Oakdale for a fresh start, he decided that he would keep his questions to himself.

Luke lightly tapped Mark on the shoulder and hinted for the door. Mark nodded slightly. Both Luke and Mark said their goodbyes to Casey and Alison.

Luke decided that as Mark didn't really want to go to a lot of different locations and as they only had three hours to kill, that he would take Mark to the Snyder farm to introduce him to his family and anyone else that happened to show up there. They walked outside of Java and were headed for the direction of Holden's car, but were suddenly stopped by Casey. He told Luke that he would meet up with them in three hours as he had some things to discuss. He was whispering as he wanted to keep it private. He ran back into Java and they continued on to Holden's car.

They said nothing about what Casey could possibly want to tell them and were silent on the trip to the farm. Eventually they drove up the drive way and noticed a car parked in front of the door. Luke recognized it as his Aunt Meg's car. She wasn't a blood aunt, but in reality was the closest thing he had to an aunt.

As they approached the front door a man came charging out and almost knocked Mark on his butt. Mark and Luke looked at each other with looks of astonishment.

"Nice to see you too Paul." Luke shouted after the man.

"Who was that?" Mark asked.

"That was my Aunt Meg's old boyfriend Paul. I think they were even engaged to be married or something. Dad can't stand him and Aunt Meg isn't sure whether she can or not. He always shows up around here for one reason or another. Right now Mike Kasnoff and he are trying to buy a portion of my grandmother's farm, so he's always lurking around." Luke explained.

They walked through the door where they saw two people sitting at the table. The man got up from the table and approached the fridge, while the women continued to read through a stack of papers.

"Hi Luke, Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Dad I want you to meet someone. This is Mark. He's new in town and I felt it would be best if I showed him around Oakdale. Noah will get the notes for me and I will have no problem catching up on what I missed."

"You always were the Smart one. Mark I am Luke's father, Holden and this is my sister Meg." He explained.

"It's nice to meet you both." Mark said to both Holden and Meg.

Holden extended his hand for Mark to shake. Meg simply stood from her seat and gave Mark a big hug.

"Any friend of Luke's is welcome in this home." She said with a smile on her face.

Holden asked Mark and Luke if they would be staying for dinner, but Luke explained that they just stopped by to have Mark meet some of the family and had to head off soon to meet Noah and Ameera at Henry's Diner. Luke asked where his mom was as he really wanted Mark to meet her. Holden simply said that he would explain everything later. Luke and Mark sat down at the table with Holden and Meg. Two minutes later a man with short brown hair and a girl with long, wavy brown hair walked in through the same door Luke and Mark had come from. They had been arguing off in the distance, but stopped as soon as they saw everyone sitting at the table.

"Why don't you both come in and have a drink?" Holden said to them.

Immediately Luke perked up. Mark assumed that this was another person Luke wanted him to meet, so he psyched himself up for meeting new people. His suspicions were correct. Luke introduced the man with short brown hair as Aaron and the girl as Sophie.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mark. So, where are you going to be staying?" Aaron asked.

Luke shot Aaron a dirty look. He imagined that Mark was getting quite sick of people asking him where he was staying and for how long, so he answered the question for Mark. He simply explained that Mark was staying at the cottage with Noah and Ameera and they weren't entirely sure for how long, but that he was welcome to stay forever should he wish to. Luke also took this as an opportunity to ask Holden if it would be alright for him to move in with Noah, Ameera and Mark. Holden asked a bunch of questions, such as where Luke would sleep, whether Noah and Ameera were alright with this, and Would he be able to support himself and still attend classes without having too much on his plate. Luke was able to answer each question to Holden's satisfaction, so Holden said that it shouldn't be a problem, but that it would be a trial basis for now. He went on to explain that if Luke ever wants to move back into the farm and have Mark, Noah or Ameera come with him that he is more then welcome to. Luke thanked his father and they were off to meet more people. Luke reached the door when suddenly a voice from the other room said in a calm, but stern voice,

"Where do you think you're going young man?"

Both Luke and Mark jumped fifty feet in the air. Luke turned around and noticed his grandmother coming in from the other room. She was a short, portly woman with frizzy hair and a really loving smile. Luke loved his grandmother very much indeed, but as much as he loved her he loved her baking even more.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to this strapping young man?" His Grandmother asked.

"Grandma, this is my friend Mark. Mark this is my grandmother Emma. She is the best baker in the human world." He said as he smiled sweetly at his grandma. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't have any of your famous cookies made right now, would you grandma?"

"I was just about to take them out of the oven. If you stick around for five minutes they should be cool enough for you to have a couple."

Luke was sold. He returned to the table, where Aaron, Sophie, Meg and Holden were all sitting now. Holden and Meg were drinking the drinks Holden had grabbed from the fridge and Aaron and Sophie were sitting at the other end of the table having what seemed like a private conversation. Mark and Luke sat on the side of the table that Holden and Meg were sitting at. As soon as Luke's Grandma removed the cookies from the oven Luke began to get very excited.

"MMMM. I love my grandmother's cookies." He said with great joy.

Five minutes later they were cool enough to take. Luke's grandmother said that Luke could have two cookies, but he snuck a third. Mark simply grabbed one, but Luke insisted that he grab at least one more. He handed Mark a second cookie, but at the same time snuck a third cookie into Mark's hand.

"I saw that" Said his grandmother.

Luke turned and had a mischievous look on his face. He bit into one of the cookies and the mischievous look turned into a huge smile. Mark also bit into one and could understand where he was coming from. The cookies were so moist and delicious and had just the right amount of chocolate chips. They weren't overpowering with flavour, but weren't extremely bland either. They were just right.

"Mrs Snyder your cookies are delicious." Mark said with enthusiasm.

"Why thank you my dear, but in the future please just call me Emma. Mrs Snyder seems so formal."

Mark nodded with a smile. They headed for the door. As soon as they got outside Luke took Mark aside.

"I wonder why my dad was so secretive about my mom." He asked.

As Mark had no idea the situation he didn't feel right commenting on it, so he simply shrugged his shoulders. Luke knew that he would get the answers eventually, but had hoped that his dad would have opened up right then and there. They walked towards the car. Luke explained that they would go to one last place before meeting up with Noah and Ameera, but that on the way out of the farm he would drive past the Snyder pond, where he and Noah had their first romantic moment, before Noah even knew he was gay.

As they drove by the pond Luke promised Mark that some day they would all go swimming in it. They continued on. Their next destination was the police station. Luke had promised Casey that they would at least try to get in to see his mother and Luke figured that it would be best for Mark to know where the police station is.

They arrived there in a short amount of time and walked right in. There was a woman with red hair talking to an officer; there was also a guy with shorter brownish hair sitting at a desk facing the front door. The man with shorter brownish hair stood up and started heading for the door, but stopped as soon as he noticed Luke.

"Luke, how are things? I feel like we haven't talked in ages."

"I'm fine. I've been busy with school and relationships. How have you been?"

"Same old same. I am having trouble with one relationship, but I will spare you the details."

"Jack, I want you to meet my friend Mark. He's going to be staying in Oakdale with Noah, so I figured it would be a good idea for him to meet people."

Jack and Mark exchanged pleasantries, as Mark had done so often already, but it was cut short by Jack who explained that he was in a rush to pick up his kids from school. He didn't want his wife Carly to have yet another thing to get mad about, so he thought he would be ten minutes early. Luke agreed that this would be a good idea. Jack continued out the door. The woman with red hair had stopped talking to the officer now and stood there reading over some paper work. Luke approached the woman and Mark followed closely behind. She looked up from her paper work.

"Can you make this quick Luke? I have a lot of paper work to attend to."

"Margo I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Mark, Mark this is the police chief and Casey's mom, Margo."

"I'm Casey's mom first, and then I'm the police chief. There isn't anything that goes on in Oakdale that I don't know about." She warned.

Margo seemed like the kind of person who knew so much because she didn't know when to keep her nose out of other people's affairs. At the same time she seemed to love her son, Casey, very much and would do anything for him.

"Listen Luke, I don't mean to be rude, but I have a lot to do and little time to do it, so if you wanted to ask me something could you do it some other time?"

"No, I just wanted to introduce Mark to the police chief in case he needs to seek the law out for one reason or another." Luke explained.

They took that as their cue to leave and headed for the door. Margo stopped them before they were out completely and asked them to have Casey call her should they run into him. Luke explained that they were just going to meet him at Henry's diner and that he would have him call her. They walked out the door and once again headed for Holden's car. Luke tossed Mark the keys and explained that he was tired of driving and if Mark wanted to he could drive the car. Mark walked around to the driver's side; they got in, buckled up and were off.

Not long after leaving the police station they arrived at Henry's diner. Casey, Noah, and Ameera were all sitting on a bench right outside. The five of them walked into the diner where they were greeted by a tan skinned woman. She was behind the counter making milkshakes for another customer. They chose a booth close to the window. The moment they sat down a man approached them.

"What can I get you guys?" He asked.

"Henry I want you to meet a friend of ours. Mark this is Henry and the lady behind the counter is Vienna. Henry this is Mark. He just recently moved to Oakdale and will be staying with Noah, Ameera, and now me."

Both Casey and Henry looked shocked at the news of Luke moving in with Noah and Ameera. Henry went about taking orders, but like always had to give his opinion.

"How do you know things will work out with all of you living there?" He asked.

"We don't, but we're going to give it a try." Noah said.

"Alright, well I'm not one to pry. If you think it's for the best then go for it." At this point Vienna had stepped from behind the counter and approached them.

"Oh Henry, let them make their own mistakes. I remember not too long ago when you needed a beautiful woman to come into your life to save you, so let them save themselves."

Henry smiled at Vienna and once again went about taking everyone's orders. He was off to the kitchen and Vienna was off to resume her position behind the counter.

"So, Casey what did you have to talk with us about?" Luke asked.

"I was thinking. I feel bad about the way I left you guys high and dry when I cut myself out of the plan. I am willing to pretend again, but it has to be on my own terms. My terms are no public touching, no public romantic gestures, nothing public at all. The only time I will permit public anything is if we suspect someone from ICE is nearby at which point I will initiate something. I'm only doing this because I want you and Noah to be together one way or another."

Luke was flattered that Casey wanted to help them after he protested so strongly against it before, but explained that they replaced him with Mark. It just seemed so perfect to have someone not attached to any of them before coming to town. Casey felt so relieved. They all new he really did not want to participate in this plan, but was only doing it to be closer to Ameera.

"So Luke, what did you and Mark do today?" Noah asked.

"Well first I took Mark to Java, where we met Casey and Alison. After that we went to the Snyder farm where we ran into a bunch of my family. We ended the journey at the police station, where we ran into Margo and Jack. This has been our final stop and from here I just want to get home and relax. What did you guys end up doing today?"

"Class was so boring. He went on for three hours and by the end I was so happy it was over that I jumped out of my seat and rand out of the auditorium. I met up with Ameera in front of her class and we headed here." Noah explained.

"That's good." Luke said.

Mark could hear a tone of sadness in his voice, so he smiled at him to reassure him that he could feel his pain. Luke shot a smile back. Their food arrived shortly after, which they all ate very quickly. Luke took three bites and then pushed the rest of the food into the center of the table, hoping that someone would finish it off for him. Both Mark and Noah reached their hand into the center of the table to grab the food as they both wanted to be there for Luke, but Mark removed his hand to allow Noah to be that guy for Luke. Ameera and Casey both shot each other an awkward look. They both felt as though you could cut the tension with a knife. The tension was soon relieved when Noah smiled at Mark and offered him some of the food.

"Sure. I am kind of hungry." He said this hoping to remove any suspicion from Noah's mind.

Noah split the rest of the sandwich in half and even offered Mark the larger half. Mark accepted graciously. They finished off the last of the food and went to pay their bills. Mark offered to pay for everyone, but Luke refused to let him pay all of the bills and offered to pay for half. The two men paid Vienna and met the others outside of the diner. They said their goodbye's to Casey and headed for the direction of home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Nightmares, Passion, and Disappointment

**Chapter 4 – Nightmares, Passion, and Disappointment**

_The walls began to close in on Luke; outside each wall stood Noah, Holden, Mark and Casey. Luke pressed his lips up against the glass that Noah stood behind and hoped that Noah would do the same. If he were about to die he wanted to know that Noah would still think about him even after he was gone. Noah didn't budge. From behind the glass it looked as though there was something holding him back from kissing Luke, but Luke could not make out what it was at first. He squint his eyes and realized that it was Ameera and Noah's father Colonel Mayer who were holding him back from kissing Luke. They had Noah in chains and were pulling the chains. The walls continued to close in on Luke. Would he die without saying goodbye to everyone he loved. The walls were so close to crushing him… _

Luke awoke suddenly and sat up from where he was sleeping. He had obviously been having a nightmare and noticed that he was sweating profusely. Luke looked over at Mark and noticed that he lay there sound asleep. He got up to go get a glass of water from the kitchen and possibly a bite to eat. He felt that he would not get back to sleep at this point, even if he forced himself to. When he saw the clock in the kitchen, the little green digits read 4:15am. Luke had to be up in less then four hours. He sat at the kitchen table while waiting for his bread to toast and thought to himself what the nightmare meant. It was obvious that Noah's relationship with Ameera was holding them back, but how did Colonel Mayer fit into everything? They got rid of that problem when they sent the Colonel to jail for attacking Luke and killing Noah's mother. Luke's toast went off and caused Luke to jump once again. He needed to just calm down. He was safe in his home and knew that Noah would protect him from anything or anyone that tried to cause him harm.

"Is everything alright Luke?" Noah asked while he walked into the kitchen.

"Noah? You startled me. I had a bad dream and decided to get a glass of water and a sandwich."

Noah walked over to Luke and gave him a big hug. He could feel sweat all over Luke's back.

"You're sweating. Are you ok?" Noah asked with true concern in his voice.

"I'm fine Noah. It was just a bad dream. I will be alright."

Noah continued to hug Luke. Luke began to feel very warm inside. He kissed Noah on the neck. Noah stopped hugging Luke and looked deeply into his eyes while grasping both sides of his face. They both realized that Mark and Ameera were both fast asleep.

"Do you realize that we are completely alone? No parents, no Ameera, no Mark." Noah said.

Before he could continue talking Luke moved in a step and their lips met. Noah's lips felt very warm to Luke. He could never get enough of kissing those amazing lips. They kept this kiss up for a couple minutes and did not want to remove their lips from each other. Eventually, due to the fact that they needed to breathe, they removed themselves from the lip lock and continued to gaze into each others eyes. Noah hands, as though controlled by a force outside of his body, began to remove Luke's shirt. Once removed, Noah pulled Luke in closer to him. He could feel Luke's heart beat racing and assured him that everything would be alright.

"I love you so much Noah." Luke said.

"And I love you Luke."

Luke then began to remove Noah's shirt, but as he did he tickled Noah up his spine. Noah trembled at the touch. They threw the shirts in a pile on the kitchen floor. Noah began to kiss Luke on his neck and shoulders, while Luke continued to tickle Noah on his back. Their bodies began to feel very warm as they were meshed together and their hearts continued to race. Noah's kissing ended up back around Luke's lips, however this time he simply teased Luke's lips by kissing softly around them. He started with Luke's nose, then he kissed his forehead, then he kissed around his lips, but not right on them. Luke gently grabbed Noah on the back of his head and guided the kiss back to his Lips. Luke decided to be adventurous and stuck his tongue into Noah's mouth. Their tongues met, which caused Noah to feel his pants getting tighter. Luke also began to feel tightness in his pants. The two of them looked down at the same time.

"Are you ready for the next step Luke?" Noah asked.

"I have been ready for a long time Noah. Are you ready?"

Noah simply nodded. Luke moved his hands to Noah's pant button. He began to unbutton, but was stopped by Noah.

"I'm ready Luke, but I want to go slow and take everything in."

He grabbed Luke's hand and led him over to the nearest chair where he sat him down. He walked around behind Luke and began to massage his shoulders, while kissing every inch of his neck. He lightly smelled Luke's golden coloured hair.

"I love the way you smell Luke." He said with pure passion in his voice.

Luke quivered at Noah's touch. He could stand it no further. He wanted so badly to take Noah and passionately hold him from behind, while they took their relationship to the next step. Deep down inside he died a little every time he saw Noah with Ameera and now when they finally had a chance to be alone Noah felt like taking things slow. Luke thought about it for a minute and eventually came to the conclusion that Noah was right in that taking it slow was the best idea for their first time. He turned around and looked Noah straight in the eyes. Noah leaned down and deeply kissed Luke on the forehead. Luke stood up, while never removing his gaze from Noah's eyes. This time Noah began to remove Luke's button from his jeans. He had Luke's pants almost unzipped, when suddenly a light from the other room shone into their eyes. The two men panicked and scrambled to get their clothes back on. Once they were fully clothed Luke stood there and wondered why they were so quick to hide their love. It's not as though ICE were the ones who turned on the light. At the worst it was Ameera, in which case Luke would have loved for her to catch them like this. Noah began to head out of the kitchen. He turned around and Luke could see sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Luke. It looks as though our love will have to be put on hold for yet another day."

Luke was so tempted to speak his mind about this, but realized that Noah was hurting as much as him. He bit his tongue and walked back into the other room. Mark was still in a deep sleep. He got back under the bed covers. While he lay there under the sweaty covers tears began to stream down his eyes. This was yet another time that his heart was breaking. He closed his eyes and in less than five minutes he was out like a light.


End file.
